We Will Be Champions
by Griffin Lord
Summary: Two trainers, strangers at best, begin their journeys at the same time. One a calm and cool prodigy from Kanto, the other a fiery and passionate prospect of Johto. Divided by region, connected by fate, united by goal. This is the story of two, but in Kanto and Johto there can be only one Champion, and both are hounded by the shadows of an old evil...


**Route 15, Kanto**

His every breath was labored and ragged, droplets of sweat lined his forehead, and his legs throbbed with pain. The heat of the sun was such that his head too began to pound and his vision grew hazy. Still he was driven to move through the knee-high grass and beat his feat against the hard soil. This discomfort and pain was nothing he wasn't used to.

A slight breeze passed over him and he came to a halt. There was a rustling behind him and it had nothing to do with the wind. His tanned hand went to a red and white ball clipped to his belt and he whirled around to face whatever stalked behind him. Cold brown eyes met fiery green ones as the young man discovered an even younger male trainer.

"You know the drill man. If you're a real trainer you'll accept my challenge," The younger trained demanded, an eager grin plastered across his fair face. The tanned trainer sized up his potential opponent, noting the light quiver of his voice and trembling of his left leg. Such poorly concealed fear told the trainer all he needed to know.

"It's a bad idea, kid. Go home," The younger trainer didn't react well to this at all. His grin was replaced with his scowl and his eyes narrowed into a glare.

"What are you, my mother? Screw it, go Primeape!" The younger trainer shouted, hurling his Pokeball towards his opponent.

Before the red and white ball was released the tanned trainer's mind began to race, _"Roughly thirteen years of age, carrying a violent and ill-tempered Pokemon. Likely has little control over it and is attempting to remedy that through forging battle bonds. Ineffective strategy for handling Primeape,"_

There was the tell-tale pop and flash of white before the older trainer could see the cream furred and muscular Pokemon that would be his opponent. The Primeape flexed his thick brown arms and gave a challenging glare towards him, not even sparing its own trainer a glance, _"Female Primeape, likely does not respect trainer and was caught already evolved. Too powerful to truly obey commands. Killing it would be a mercy to the trainer…but that's not my call,"_

"Last chance kid," The older trainer warned, clicking his own Pokeball to enlarge it, "Kanto's dangerous these days, trainers need every Pokemon fit for battle at any given moment. Your Primeape can't protect you if it has fainted,"

"Hey shut up man! Quit acting so Arceus-damned cocky!" The younger one spat, "My Primeape's handled plenty of opponents before, even savage wild Pokemon, so don't you go patronizing me!"

"_Trainer is riled up. Primeape shows no response to trainer's rage. Blatant lack of synergy between the two. Battle is already decided,"_

The older trainer gave a firm nod before tossing forward his own Pokeball, "Come out, Zeus,"

With a loud pop and a white flash Primeape could finally see her opponent. It was a dark orange furred mouse with dark brown stripes on its back. A golden blade shaped like a lightning bolt sat on the end of a long and thin black tail. The Raichu opened its brown eyes, got on all fours, and sent light blue warning sparks from its yellow cheeks.

"_Grass is knee-high, tall enough to conceal Zeus from trainer's view but not Primeape's…"_

"There we go. Primeape, use Karate Chop!" The older trainer watched to see how long it took Primeape to start the attack. There was a slight delay, as he expected, before the Primeape decided to obey it's trainer on this attack. It wouldn't take much pain for the Primeape to stop making those decisions.

"Hop right and stay back," Zeus, on the other hand, obeyed his trainer immediately. The electric type hopped to the right to avoid the downward chop from Primeape's left paw, bouncing back once more to create distance, "Thunderbolt!"

Zeus' cheeks crackled before they launched twin bolts of blue lightning straight at the fighting type, singing and cutting the grass that stood in their path. Had the grass been thicker or larger the field would have been set ablaze.

"Dodge it Primeape!" Primeape was fine with this command and performed an impressive back flip to avoid the twin bolts.

"_Trainer gives vague instructions to Pokemon. Not from trust but overconfidence and inexperience," _The older trainer noted instantly, "Quick Attack!"

Zeus kicked his hind legs off the ground lunged at the Primeape. The movement was so fast that the Raichu became but an orange blur an the airborne Primeape was helpless against the charge, thus letting out a grunt of pain and anger when Zeus slammed into her. Zeus landed on all fours and crouched down low while Primeape landed hard on her back.

"_Taking a hit will break what little synergy the two have. Trainer won't find Zeus easily, Primeape will be furious,"_

"Damn…get up and use-wait, where'd it go?" The young trainer asked, dropping his focus on the Primeape and looking around the grass for Zeus. He saw where the Raichu had landed but now the Pokemon was obscure from his view. Primeape, however, fixed her eyes on the orange rodent and let out a battle screech, finally catching her trainer's attention, "Huh? Primeape?"

"_Primeape is enraged and wants revenge. Will be easily confused…"_

The fighting type shot straight at the Raichu, much to young trainer's surprise, but the older one already expected it, "Use Double Team,"

All the young trainer saw was the shuffling of the tall grass, but Primeape saw her hated opponent split into a dozen before dashing away from her. Primeape let out another screech and started to swipe, punch, and kick at the clones. Even if she missed or destroyed the images she would simply whirl around and let loose another powerful attack. The wind rustling the grass around her made her think that she was being ganged up on.

"_Trainer will panic…"_

"P-Primeape, calm down!" It was no use, Primeape's rampage continued as it hunted down Zeus and his copies all around the two trainers, "Hey! Listen to me!"

"_Primeape will tire…"_

This continued for a few moments before Primeape slowed to a halt. Her breath was labored and much of the grass around her was cut, bent, and trampled over. A few times she had chopped and punched the ground, cracking the hard soil with ease. Despite all of her strength she had been unable to land a single hit on the real Raichu.

"_And it's over,"_ The older trainer's eyes looked straight down, where Zeus stood on all fours in front of him, "Thunderwave,"

From the tip of his tail Zeus shot a weak and slow moving electric charge. However the exhausted and confused Primeape barely noticed the attack. By the time she and her trainer did, though, she was already struck and the electricity forced her muscles to lock. She grunted and growled in attempts to vigorously resist but it was futile, resistance only quickened the stasis.

"Primeape move!"

"Thunder," The younger trainer's eyes went wide as Zeus' entire body begin to crack with electricity. Thunder was a powerful move but predictable, easy to dodge unless rain clouds were present to broaden its range and speed up the attack. However, even without rain clouds, a slow moving opponent was an easy target.

And the young trainer knew it. His eyes went wide as he realized that his loss was at hand.

"Primeape! Move damn it…" Static began to crackle above his Primeape, giving the Pokemon a consistent charge which caused its thick cream fur to stand straight, "MOVE!"

It was too late. With a deafening boom and a bright blue flash a large thunderbolt dropped from the sky straight onto Primeape. The fighting type didn't even let out a scream or cry of pain as it was struck with the massive bolt of electricity. The grass around it was burned away near instantly and the ground beneath it cracked, the heat of the attack scorching it pitch black. It was truly an epic show of power from the Raichu.

There was silence when the attack died down. The light went away but the air still crackled and sparked with lingering electricity. Zeus and his trainer stared at the fallen Primeape almost solemnly while Primeape's trainer looked on in shock. Primeape's fur was scorched black around its head and back, any blood immediately caked onto the fur from the heat of the attack.

"It'll live," The older trainer said as the young one gripped his Pokeball, "But this battle is over. Try gaining Primeape's respect before believing it'll follow your commands. Rely on strategy and co-ordination, not brute strength," He decided to keep Zeus out of his Pokeball and turned away. There was supposed to be prize money whenever a battle was decided, both trainers knew that, but the older trainer was not interested in any of it.

"W-wait up!" The older trainer didn't turn around at the sound of his former opponent's voice but he did slow to a halt, "Who are you? How'd you do all of that?"

The older trainer looked own at Zeus and the Raichu met his gaze. Trainer and Pokemon exchanged beliefs and thoughts through that single look, and the trainer decided to face his opponent one last time.

"My name is Nolan," the older trainer stated, "And I've learned these lessons too,"


End file.
